Patterns
by Lokio
Summary: Out with his friend Ran, Shinichi happens upon a street magician's performance. It had been a random meeting that didn't really mean anything but Shinichi began to suspect otherwise. Once was normal. Twice was a coincidence. Three times is a pattern. Who exactly was this magician, this Kuroba Kaito, and how did he know his name?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Magic Kaito or Detective Conan!

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><p>The first time they met they were at the park.<p>

Shinichi was out with Ran, his long time childhood friend. The two were searching for a suitable spot for their picnic or, more precisely, Ran was. They had just about scoured the whole park in the short thirty minutes they had been there, but she had yet to make a decision and as time continued to tick away the high school detective was growing just the slightest bit agitated. His stomach was starting to grumble too and lugging around the heavy basket, packed full with their lunch, was getting tiresome.

He came to a stop on the stone path and placed the basket beside him, taking a moment to rest and stretch his tired arms as Ran hurried on ahead. He really hoped she would make up her mind and soon or else he was going to eat the food right then and there without her.

As he stretched, blue eyes lazily scanned the scenery around him. It was a lovely day; there was plenty of sun with the occasional stray cloud. A bit warm for his taste but it made the breeze all the more refreshing. The park itself was rather busy—which was surprising since it was a weekday—however, most of the people at his location were concentrated in one large area nearby and as he watched the group burst into cheers and applause.

Whatever had their attention must be entertaining. Curious he picked up the basket and gravitated over, lingering at the edge of the crowd. He saw a young male, not that much older than himself, standing on a bench. He was grinning, juggling a set of plastic balls in his hands and he had a dove on each shoulder.

A magician?

Shinichi's brow scrunched up even as he frowned. While he didn't have a problem with magic it lost a certain appeal when you knew how it was being done; it had never been hard for him to figure out the secrets behind such frivolous tricks.

He was about to turn away when the teen looked in his direction. Their eyes met for a brief moment and Shinichi swore the magician's smile seemed to grow bigger.

Tossing the four balls into the air the magician snapped his fingers. The items exploded, showering the area in confetti as four doves materialized out of thin air, hovering where the balls had been.

The detective's eyebrows shot up in mild surprise as the birds took to the crowd, flapping and swooping over the heads of the spectator's head's earning several "oohs" and "ahhs" from the group even as a few ducked reflexively to the spectacle.

Shinichi's surprise quickly morphed into bemusement, however, as he suddenly found himself a part of the show. The four doves had made a beeline for him, taking up residence on his shoulders and head. They then began cooing and pecking at his hair much to his chagrin and the amusement of the performer and his spectators.

The magician hopped from the bench an arm extended towards the detective. "It seems my birds have taken a liking to you good sir." He chirped, trying to look embarrassed.

The act didn't fool Shinichi who frowned back at him as laughter washed over the crowd and he felt his cheeks burning.

"Here. Let me help you." The magician continued and put his fingers to his lips. At the whistle the birds took flight once more and the detective started to relax.

That is until he felt something moving around in his clothes. Before he had the chance to even think the area exploded with even more doves as they burst out from under his shirt and jacket. Surprised, Shinichi dropped the basket and raised his arms to defend against sudden flock.

Cursing at his mistake he quickly looked down, reaching out a hand in hopes of catching it before the contents of their meal landed all over the ground.

However, rather than seeing pile of food like he expected, he found the magician crouched before him. In his arms was their lunch and he was looking sheepishly up at the detective.

"Sorry about that." He said, this time looking truly embarrassed as he stood.

"It's okay." Shinichi mumbled as accepted the basket, taking the moment to look at the teen across from him. He was dressed in casual clothes, his unruly brown hair falling in wisps over his forehead. The most intriguing part was those wide blue eyes that seemed to have flecks of violet hidden within.

It was here that Shinichi came to a realization.

This street performer was... good looking.

When magician titled his head, an eyebrow raising, Shinichi realized that he was staring. He quickly looked away, turning his attention to the basket in his arms and lifted the lid to make sure everything was all right. That is when he felt a hand on his shoulder and the detective dared to lift his head.

"Aww. Look. He is embarrassed! Here, lets give him a round of applause for being a good sport!" The magician said cheerfully, turning back to the crowd as he patted Shinichi's shoulder. The detective frowned.

Never mind. He was not cute at all!

As the spectators happily applauded Shinichi blushed, fidgeting in his spot as the warmth from the hand seemed to seep through his clothes and into his skin. The teen performer then flicked his wrist, a red rose appearing in his hand. He deftly slipped it into the front pocket of Shinichi's jacket and returned to his spot on the bench.

"Now for my next trick..."

The detective didn't get to hear the rest as another voice drew his attention. He turned to see Ran rushing towards him, lavender eyes wide with concern and relief, the picnic blanket cradled in her arms.

"Shinichi!" She gasped coming to a stop in front of him, "Why are you all the way back here?" A pause, "And where did that rose come from?"

He blinked and removed the thorn-free flower. "Sorry. I got distracted."

Her brow creased as she studied him and he resisted the urge to flinch because he knew exactly what she was thinking: She thought he had run off without saying anything to her. Part of his chest clenched at the idea of making her worry like that again. Fortunately Shinichi had promised her (as well as himself) that he was not going to run off on cases and leave her behind like he did before.

And he intended to keep it this time.

That still didn't alleviate all of her worry though and his eyes softened as he watched her mask the concern behind smile.

"I thought you didn't like magic shows." She said, looking behind him at the magician who was currently pulling colored fabric from his sleeve.

"I don't." He commented as he slipped the rose behind her ear.

She blushed, reaching up a hand to gently touch the flower. "You were trying to figure out the tricks weren't you?" She remarked, leaning slightly to one side so her long brown hair fell over her shoulder.

Shinichi smiled, "Something like that..."

"Geez, Shinichi. I just can't leave you alone, can I?" Ran giggled as she looped her arm in his and pointed down the path. "Come on. I found the perfect spot!"

"Took you long enough." He joked, causing her to elbow him in the ribs.

The two shared a laugh and as he let his friend drag him away, Shinichi sent one final look over his shoulder. His heart skipped a beat when he caught those indigo eyes watching him one final time. The look was very brief though, averting almost the instant Shinichi had turned and he shook his head.

It had to be his imagination. Right?


	2. Chapter 2

The second time Shinichi saw him it was a couple weeks later.

His friends had been trying to get him to go to one of Kaitou KID's infamous heists for months now. Shinichi had always avoided going by giving reasons like 'he didn't care much for thieves' or 'he was busy with cases'. While they were excuses they also had a ring of truth. He chose to leave theft for the police since he considered thieves harmless (as long as they didn't kill anyone) and he'd rather put his energy into more dangerous criminals.

Unfortunately Hattori was in town and he had never been to a KID heist and by_ in town_ he meant that the detective had showed up that morning unannounced. He then all but demanded that Shinichi take him to one that j_ust so happened_ to be scheduled for that evening. Something about it being part of his job as a host.

"C'mon Kudo! Hurry up!" The tanned Osakan yelled from his spot in the foyer of the Kudo mansion. Next to him stood Kazuha, the female resting her hands on her hips as she glared at him.

"Ahou! There is no need ta rush 'im! We still have an hour 'fore it starts!" She remarked.

"Ahou! I want ta get a good spot 'fore they're all taken!" The detective shot back.

Ran, who stood behind them, smiled at their antics while diligently playing the role of mediator. "Kazuha-chan is right Hattori-kun. We have plenty of time to get there..."

"See?" Kazuha nodded.

Heiji frowned, hunching his shoulders as he looked away from the two girls and back down the hall. What was taking Kudo so long anyways? "I'm gon' go get him!"

"Heiji!" Kazuha scolded, reaching out to grab his arm. "Kudo said he'd be out soon. Set'le down!'

"Like hell! He's doin' this on purpose so he don't 'ave to go!" He barked back, tugging against his friend's grip as he started to pull off his sneakers.

When Shinichi finally appeared from the stairs, one arm in the sleeve of his jacket, he was met with the strangest sight.

"Sorry guys. I wanted to write down a few quick notes for this one...case... file... before..." He trailed off, coming to a stop as he stared at the trio in front of him.

Ran, looking flustered, lifted her shoulders in a slight shrug as she met his questioning gaze.

Hattori had one shoe off, his socked foot on the step that would carry him the rest of the way into the house. He looked very much like a man on a mission. Behind him Kazuha was hugging his arm and leaning back as far as she could, her heels dug stubbornly into the floor. The two were looking at each other and it was evident that they had not heard Shinichi's arrival.

"Ahou! Let GO!" Hattori snapped.

"No! Ya need ta work on tha' temper of yours Heiji!"

"I don' have a temper!"

"Ya do too!"

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

"AHEM!" Shinichi interjected as he cleared his throat _loudly_.

The duo blinked and looked towards the brunette who had begun pulling on the rest of his jacket, "If you two are finished, I am ready now."

In a flash the two separated, Kazuha folding her arms across her chest as she looked away.

"I told you not to make a scene Heiji!" She scolded as if the whole scenario was his fault... which was technically true. At least she managed to look embarrassed, unlike her friend.

Heiji, meanwhile, was waving his sneaker threateningly at Shinichi. "Took ya long enough! What were ya doin' up there?"

Shinichi smirked at his friend, "As I said, I had an idea for the case I am working on. I had to write down a few notes before I forgot them." He peered at the watch on his wrist, "We still have time you know."

"That's what neechan said. I just don' want any of tha' good spots taken." The Osakan detective grumbled as he went back to pulling on his sneaker.

"You don't have to worry about that." Shinichi blinked as the trio looked at him. "Didn't I tell you? I spoke to Inspector Nakamori. He agreed to let us be in the room during the heist."

"Really!?" Heiji, Kazuha and even Ran exclaimed.

"Yes! I knew we could count on ya Kudo!" Heiji cried as he jumped to his feet and slung an arm around his best friend's shoulder. "Now le's go!"

"Oi! Oi!" Shinichi groaned as Ran opened the door for the duo. The four left the mansion, Shinichi being partly dragged by Heiji down the steps as the two girls trailed behind.

As promised, Shinichi managed to get them into the room with no problems. Although he did forget to mention one thing...

The four were standing in the back next to one of the floor-to-ceiling glass windows that made up the outer wall of the large room that housed the target of heist. Hattori was sitting cross legged on the floor, tenderly rubbing the side of his face where the inspector had pulled (harder than necessary no doubt) to check to see if they were KID before yelling at them to stay out of his way. Something about '_annoying teen detectives_' and '_multiplying_'.

"Ya could have warned us y'know." The osakan grumbled.

Shinichi was leaning against the window, his own cheek red and throbbing as he snorted. "I thought you knew how Nakamori-keibu ran things."

"I didn' think he'd do it tha' hard!"

Shinichi rolled his eyes and glanced over at Kazuha and Ran. The two were standing farther away from the boys where the pony-tailed female was nursing a red cheek of her own. In fact the only one who had escaped the cheek pinching was Ran which had him wondering briefly if Nakamori knew of the karate champion. Or maybe it was because he feared receiving the same treatment Hattori had received.

Kazuha probably could have avoided the check if it weren't for Heiji who had promptly pulled his childhood friend's cheek to prove to the officer that it really was her. The aikido fighter wasn't too happy about that and had knocked the kendo teen to the floor with a well controlled wrist-lock.

The tan detective claimed that he did it since his way was less brutal than Nakamori's but that still didn't quell Kazuha's anger. Shinichi felt a little sympathetic for the black haired teen since he had been on the receiving end of Ran's own moves before but at the same time Heiji had been asking for it. Still, in spite of it all the detective was eager for the heist to get started.

"Just ya wait!" Heiji boasted as he threw up a fist, "I'll catch this Kaitou KID myself! Show these officers how it's done the Osakan way!"

Shinichi smiled at his friend's enthusiasm. "You'll have to get through Nakamori and Hakuba first."

"That'll be easy!"

"I wouldn't be too sure."

Heiji looked up at him with a smirk, "You know that English detective has nothin' on Osaka." He said, puffing out his chest proudly.

Shinichi still doubted his friend's confidence but he elected not to argue with him. When it came to Hattori's Osakan pride there was very little one could do to prove it wrong.

The remaining time passed with little incident. When it finally hit the five minute mark the room was completely sealed off and the air was thick with anticipation as Nakamori was barking last minute orders to the thirty or so officers that were stationed in the room.

Two minutes and Hakuba looked up from his pocket-watch as he pushed away from the door, tucking the item into his vest pocket.

One minute and Heiji was standing now, flashing Shinichi one of his cocky grins; a grin that the eastern detective returned.

From the shadows a third grin spread across a familiar face as he looked at his own timer.

Five...

Four...

Three...

Two...

One.

A half second later and the lights went out enveloping the room in a blanket of darkness.

The heist was on!

Although the locations and targets of KID's heists changed regularly there with certain things that always remained constant and this one was no different. It had its over abundance of Nakamori shouting and police officers running a muck along with the usual bells and whistles of KID tricks, traps and notes. Adding three teenage detectives and two martial artists made things even more hectic for both the task force and the phantom thief.

Shinichi wasn't sure where or how but during the chase he had lost sight of his companions. While the task force had gotten caught in one of KID's gooey web traps after he fooled them with a rather simple mirror illusion, he knew for a fact that the five of them had made it through without harm.

Unfortunately the building was a lot bigger than anticipated and there were several different hallways, rooms and stairwells. As a result they had gotten split up but Shinichi wasn't really worried. All of them were familiar with KID heists, even Heiji and Kazuha although they never attended them.

As long as they remembered the most common feature: KID needed some place high to escape from, an open expanse big enough for his glider since breaking glass usually wasn't his thing unless it involved a dummy of some sort.

As it were the detective was searching one of the upper floors, looking for one of those built in maps they usually had in hopes of finding the quickest route to the roof. Naturally he could just run up the stairs until he reached the top but that was several flights. Who knew how many floors he'd have to maneuver through and the elevators were out of commission per the inspector's request.

That is when he heard a noise and paused mid-step. Looking around he waited to see if it would happen a second time and sure enough there it was; The sound of foot steps and running water. Head cocked to one side Shinichi followed the muffled sound to a closed room two doors down and pressed his ear against the cool wood.

Could it be KID? Only one way to find out.

He took a deep breath and reached for the knob only to have the door suddenly swing outwards. Shocked he didn't have time to move as it clocked him in the face and he stumbled backwards, hands flying up to his nose.

_Son Of A..._

There was a second cry of shock and surprise. "Ah! I am sorry! I didn't..."

The voice trailed off as Shinichi turned to the culprit only to find wide indigo eyes staring back at him from under unruly brown hair. On top of that the teen's jaw couldn't decided if it wanted to stay open or closed as he stood with one arm pointed in his direction.

There was an air of familiarity about him and he blinked at the male, brow scrunched in confusion. Suddenly it clicked.

"It is_ you!_" The duo blurted out in unison.

There was a moment of awkward silence as they stared at each other, neither really knowing what to say at first. Thankfully the magician was the first to regain his composure, turning his attention to the detective's injury.

"Uh.. Are you okay?"

"I don't think it is broken." Shinichi replied, sounding a bit nasally as one hand was still pinching his nose. The detective eased his hold, crinkling it experimentally and winced. It still smarted even if it wasn't broken.

"I don't see any blood either so that is good." The magician sounded relieved. "I really am sorry. I didn't think anyone would be out here."

"It is fine. Better question is what are you doing here?"

The magician blinked, head tilting to one side and he flashed a grin. One that Shinichi thought looked natural and accentuated his features rather nicely. "I am here for the KID heist of course!"

"Okay. But I mean, why are you _here_..." He waved his hands at the empty hallway around him.

Wordlessly the magician pointed behind him. When Shinichi looked up he saw the sign on the door that marked the it as a bathroom.

"Bathroom." He chirped as if it explained everything. He then looked around frantically, visibly upset, "Don't tell me! Did I miss it?"

Shinichi stared at him skeptically, "Yes. KID already made off with the jewel. I don't suppose you've seen a man in white run past here?"

The magician pondered for a moment then shook his head, "Nope. Not a soul! That is a drag though. I was really hoping to see KID." He puffed a sigh.

Great. Leave it to Shinichi to find a KID fan. One who had most likely sneaked in hoping to get a up close view of the thief. Truthfully he shouldn't be all that surprised. A magician loving a magician thief. It was bound to happen.

"You shouldn't be here." He scolded. "This area is off-limits to civilians. What's your name?"

The magician blinked then jerked a thumb towards his chest which was puffed proudly. Almost as proud as Hattori. "Kuroba Kaito! Magician extraordinaire and number one KID fan! Although Kaitou KID isn't as good as myself."

Shinichi stared. After a heartbeat of silence he cleared his throat, "Riiight. Well Kuroba-san..."

"Kaito."

"...What?"

The magician beamed at him, "Call me Kaito!"

That was... strange. Rarely were people so friendly, letting strangers call them by their first name. "Alright Kaito-kun..."

"No _kun._ Just Kaito!"

Shinichi grit his teeth, "Fine. _Kaito_." He paused to see if the teen had any more interruptions. When none were forthcoming he continued, "I would escort you out of here but I don't have the time to do so. If you continue down this hall you should come across Inspector Nakamori." He pointed down the corridor from where he had arrived.

Kaito glanced that way and nodded in understanding before looking back at the detective. "Good luck catching KID." He chirped again.

"Yea. Thanks." Satisfied Shinichi said good-bye and quickly took his leave, hearing the voice calling out behind him one last time.

"Bye Shinichi!"

That had him stopping in his tracks. Was it his imagination or did that magician just say his name? He never mentioned it... so how? The detective quickly twisted back around but the hallway was already empty.

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><p><strong>Author's Notes:<strong> Mmm... not sure what to say about this. Was something I had started writing off and on recently and it was intended to be longer. I do plan on adding more but likely in a later chapters

I mostly just wanted to write Kaito actually putting on a magic show and some Ran/Shinichi but then it grew into Hattori and my first attempt at Kazuha. Nothing serious. Just a little project I am working on the side with my other stories.


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